Christmas and the holiday season is well in our midst, accompanied by presents, cookies, family, and many other things that happen only once a year. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but the holiday season gets more extreme every year. Every year it's earlier, brighter, louder, faster. Every year we want to do more, buy more, be more. This extravagant festive season is beautiful and wonderful (especially because it's a chance to spend more time focused on Jesus), but sometimes balance can be hard to find.

I feel this struggle. And so I present three ways to find balance and peace during Christmas. After all, we are celebrating the Prince of Peace!

1. Find Balance in Body

Christmas is the season for indulgences, especially when it comes to food. Christmas cookies. Christmas dressing. Christmas candy. Christmas Starbucks. Christmas everything fatty and sugary. Christmas is also a weird time of year where our regular habits of exercise and taking care of our bodies can be abandoned. How can we find balance during this season of excess?

Here's my strategy: eat the Christmas cookies.

Yes, eat the cookies. But only when it is special. When you're at Grandma's house and she baked you cookies, don't feel bad eating them. Give yourself permission to celebrate Christmas cookies at these special times. Buuut, don't live off of Christmas cookies just because it's December and they're Christmas cookies. In your normal meals (even Starbucks trips), try to make an extra effort to eat something that's good for your body. Then your can enjoy the special meals and snacks even more.

Also, be proactive in making time to be active. Maybe instead of watching two Christmas movies with your friend, go take a walk and then watch one. Play Christmas music as you run or do yoga. Every time the characters in a Hallmark movie stare dramatically at each other, do twenty squats. Be intentional and festive in your exercise!

2. Find Balance in Mind

Christmas is a very social holiday, filled with family and friends. There are countless opportunities to celebrate, from Christmas parties to family reunions to Church festivities. On top of that, there are so many things to do in preparation for these gatherings. You must buy presents, bake a cake, find a white elephant gift, clean the house, and more. This can all get a little much, and some may desire more rest and alone time during the holidays.

That is okay. It is okay not to go to every party and see every friend in town. If you stretch yourself too thin, you won’t enjoy any of it. That said, with a little foresight, you can prepare for the avalanche of things to do and places to go by making sure that you spend quality alone time. Do something regularly that rejuvenates you and gives you comfort. For me, I like to watch movies and read blogs. For you it might be reading, going outside, playing with your pet, or making something. Balance out the crazy schedule of Christmas with relaxing times of peace and rest. (For more tips about finding refreshing alone time, check out my article The Art of Being Alone.)

3. Find Balance in Spirit

Sometimes the spirit of Christmas isn’t too easy on your spirit. The fluff and stuff of Christmas can distract your spirit from the Spirit of Christ. Now, I’m not about to just say “Jesus is the reason for the season,” because saying that doesn’t really help much. No, you have to live in Jesus’ spirit of grace lavished upon us. You have to receive the gift of salvation from the hands of God, but you can’t receive this gift if you're busy holding onto everything else. You have to let go of trying to force the Christmas spirit into your life, seeking that feeling that you cherished as kids. When you let go of your own efforts and simply receive the gift of Christ, you will find a joy in your spirit much like the Christmas spirit you felt as a child. Maybe that's because as a child you didn’t try to create, buy, and decorate Christmas. You simply received Christmas. Maybe it’s time for us all to receive the spirit of Christ like little children.

One way that I loved receiving the gift of grace from God during the holidays is through Advent. To learn more about Advent, check out my 2016 Advent Guide. Saturating yourself with the Word of God, prayer, and wisdom from other Christians continually points your soul to Jesus, the source of all joy and peace. If you do nothing else this Christmas, receive the gift of Jesus with a humble and joyful heart.

As it turns out, balance isn’t a foreign concept during the holidays. Finding health in your body, peace in your mind, and joy in your spirit makes the holidays a season that you will look forward to in every aspect. So embrace Christmas cookies while you also take care of your body. Celebrate with friends and family while you also take time to rest. Enjoy the dazzle of Christmas while humbling yourself to God as He gives us all something that we can never earn, deserve, or even understand: Emmanuel. May God be with you this Christmas like never before.